Traditional Apple Pie.

I made this Pie last night.

I had a late lunch, and by 10pm my tummy started rumbling halfway through an episode of 'Breaking Bad'. American shows always make me hungry. So I snuck down into the kitchen like a thief in the night, rummaging through the cupboards (the greedy 6 year old inside me being the driving force behind this one).

Thankfully, during the pie prep, I stuffed myself with quite a few apple slices: 'One for me, two for the pie". By the time the pie was done, it was a little past midnight and Sleep defeated Hunger. My waist-line appreciated it very much so this morning.

I'm not gonna lie. I think I actually dreamt I was eating the pie. Eating the pie or IN THE PIE...? Whatever. All I'm saying is, if it wasn't for my mother's judging pair of eyes, I swear I would have eaten the whole glorious thing for breakfast.

Here's what you will need:


*The filling:

Around 2 kilos of apples (I used Granny Smiths)
1 big juicy lemon, juice and zest.
100g sugar
45g  plain flour
A pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon

*The pastry:

240g unsalted butter
450g plain flour
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
115ml cold water
Egg-wash (1 egg, a little water)


*The method:

1) Pre-heat oven to 200C

2) Peel, core and slice each apple into 12.

3) Place apples into bowl of filling ingredients, making sure each slice is covered with the paste. Keep aside for later.

4) Sieve all dry ingredients for the pastry to avoid lumps. Place in a bowl and cut up the butter into cubes. With your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the water and mix well. Cover the dough with cling film and chill for 20 mins.

5) Roll out the dough, remembering that you will need some to cover the pie. Place over a pie dish (I used a 25cm dish), using a bit of extra dough dipped in flour to fix it in place. Do not stretch the dough!  Leave a few cms of excess dough over the rim. Chill for 10 mins.

6) While the dough is chilling, roll out the leftover dough for the top layer of the pastry. Chill for 5 mins.

7) Fill the pie dish with the apples, along with all the juices, and egg-wash the edge. Cover the apples with the top layer of pastry dough, trim and tuck the sides a little a use your fingers to crimp them together. Eggwash lightly and make 5 slits using a pairing knife. Sprinkle with sugar.

8) Place in the oven for about an hour, until the juices start bubbling and top is golden brown.

You can serve this warm or cold (I prefer cold), with some custard or vanilla ice cream. This can serve up to 6 people (or 1 greedy pig).

Enjoy.